Ty Warner, the Chicago-area entrepreneur who became a billionaire creating Beanie Babies stuffed plush toys, has been charged with felony tax evasion by federal authorities and has agreed to plead guilty and pay a $53.5 million penalty, federal officials and Warner's attorney said in separate statements Wednesday. Warner "was charged today with federal tax evasion for allegedly failing to report income he earned in a secret offshore account he held with UBS," the...

The U.S. government Friday appealed the sentence of billionaire Ty Warner, the Beanie Babies creator who recently received two years' probation for tax evasion. In January, U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras rejected calls from prosecutors that he sentence Warner to a prison sentence of at least a year for failing to pay income taxes on millions of dollars that he hid for years in Swiss bank accounts. Kocoras said he was swayed by letters detailing Warner's acts of kindness in giving...

Bongo, Pouch, Stripes, Waddle and 30 other eager animals appeared to perk up next to their caretakers as the Buffalo Grove Park District's first Beanie Baby unbirthday party began. Undoubtedly the most comfortable was Jaws, renamed by owner John Peart, 8, of Buffalo Grove. Jaws, born Jan. 13, 1996, as Crunch, lounged in a beach chair custom made to fit the shark's 6-inch frame. The recent spring-break activity attracted 34 children ages 5 to 9 and all from Buffalo Grove. At the event,...

As a federal judge began handing down a sentence for Beanie Babies billionaire and admitted tax evader Ty Warner last week, defense lawyer Gregory Scandaglia's confidence was suddenly shaken. "In my experience, I never want it to start out favorably," the Chicago attorney, 52, said of a judge's sentencing speech. When judges say something nice about an offender early on, Scandaglia explained, "there's often a pivot like 'However, despite those good things, I can't overcome or...

Fifty minutes was all it took Sunday for the Cubs to distribute 10,000 "Daisy the Cow" Beanie Babies to boys and girls 13 or younger at Wrigley Field. The Cubs opened the gates at 10:45 a.m., 35 minutes earlier than usual, because of the huge crowds forming outside the ballpark. By 11:35 a.m. all of the toys had been given away. Some fans complained that when they reached the turnstiles there were no more Beanie Babies. The Cubs previously announced that the giveaways would be made to...

A federal judge rejected calls from prosecutors for a prison sentence of at least a year and Tuesday sentenced billionaire Beanie Babies founder Ty Warner to two years of probation for failing to pay income taxes on millions of dollars he hid for years in Swiss bank accounts. Warner's sentence also includes a $100,000 fine and 500 hours of community service. U.S. District Judge Charles Kocoras said he was swayed by the 70 letters he received in support of Warner. The judge read...

Authorities have accused a former nurse of stealing a Beanie Baby toy from a 12-year-old girl's hospital bed while the girl was recovering from open-heart surgery. "I just was very floored that it would happen," said Michele Kiser, the mother of patient Nicole Kiser. "I just could not believe that someone would steal from a sick child." Police said former Hershey Medical Center nurse Suzanne E. Pinkney, 50, stole the "Halo the angel bear" Beanie Baby from the child...

Suburban Chicago businessman Ty Warner, a college dropout who became a billionaire after creating Beanie Babies collectibles, pleaded guilty Wednesday to tax evasion and apologized in a choked-up voice for hiding millions of dollars in a Swiss bank account. "When I signed those returns, I knew those moneys were missing," Warner said. "It was not accurate. I apologize for my conduct. It's a terrible way to meet you," Warner told the judge. Struggling to keep his composure,...

A Woodridge man accused of producing false Beanie Baby tags that others allegedly used to pass off their stuffed toys as authentic pleaded guilty Monday to attempted forgery. Paul Hrdlicka, 26, of the 2300 block of Vista Avenue accepted a plea agreement with the DuPage County state's attorney office. As part of the deal, a felony charge of forgery was reduced to the misdemeanor. Richard Kayne, Hrdlicka's defense attorney, said his client was placed on 24 months of probation and...

By Becky Yerak and Jason Meisner and Tribune reporters | October 2, 2013

Suburban Chicago businessman Ty Warner, a college dropout who became a billionaire after creating Beanie Babies collectibles, pleaded guilty Wednesday to tax evasion and apologized in a choked-up voice for hiding millions of dollars in a Swiss bank account. "When I signed those returns, I knew those moneys were missing," Warner said. "It was not accurate. I apologize for my conduct. It's a terrible way to meet you," Warner told the judge. Struggling to keep his...

It's tough enough being a suburban police officer. In some law-enforcement circles, cops in the 'burbs are maligned as bumpkins with little else on their agenda than speeding-ticket quotas and loose-dog calls. Now this. Carol Stream police, with the help of a Lombard private investigator, have made the first break in what is believed to be a theft of more than 6,000 Beanie Babies. Authorities arrested Ben Perri of Glendale Heights and charged him with theft. He is 77 years...

A four-year crackdown by the IRS on tax cheats with offshore bank accounts has ensnared Chicago-area billionaire Ty Warner, creator of collectible Beanie Babies toys, a consumer craze in the 1990s. Warner will plead guilty to one count of felony tax evasion and faces up to five years in prison, authorities said. His arraignment is slated for Oct. 2. He also reached a deal to pay a civil penalty of $53.5 million for "failure to file a foreign bank account report,"...

The pig's name was Grunt, and, although a pithy and appropriate moniker for a swine, it is not what attracted the attention of 7-year-old Patrick King of Oak Brook. "I like it because it's red," said Patrick, who attended last weekend's Beanie Baby auction at the Drake Hotel in Oak Brook. The event raised money for the DuPage County chapter of Habitat for Humanity. Patrick and his parents, Bob and Raj, paid $50 for the cushy razorback pig, which they added to a...

Two groups of politicians have at last gathered the intestinal fortitude needed to thwart one of America's greatest threats — babies. The crusade began several weeks ago with the sudden rise in concern over "anchor babies," the infant children of illegal immigrants who, by virtue of being born on U.S. soil, are automatically deemed citizens. An increasing number of politicians claim that preplanned, prenatal trickery is afoot. They believe these illegal immigrants...

Computer-savvy Beanie Baby collectors are turning to the Internet for the latest news and gossip about Ty Inc.'s beanbag animal collectibles, which have become the hottest toy products since Cabbage Patch Kids. This fast-growing trend has captured the hearts and wallets of kids, teens and adults, prompting Palladium Interactive to develop the "Ultimate Collector for Beanie Babies" CD-ROM ($19.95). Although this software is not authorized by Ty Inc., it offers detailed information about every...

When Ty Inc. released a set of Sasha and Malia Beanie Baby dolls earlier this year, Michelle Obama lashed out at the company for invading her daughters' privacy -- and within days, Ty Inc. changed the dolls' names. So how will the Oak Brook-based company get out of the PR doghouse? Meet Bo, a new collection of black and white Portuguese Water Dog dolls that are "inspired by the First Family's new puppy," according to a Ty Inc. news release....

For Daniel Gianni and his wife, Anna Lisa Gianni, Christmas has come early, not because of a gift they have gotten, but one they are giving. The Plainfield couple are among hundreds of people who have been working feverishly since Wednesday to put the finishing touches on 250 special Christmas trees. The finished products are being donated to the Festival of Trees in Joliet to raise money for Cornerstone Services, a local charity. This is the first year the Giannis have decorated a...

The Beanie Baby folks have done it again. Ty released a shaggy black and white "Bo" (right) -- as in the presidential dog. So far, it's super popular. Although the retail price is $4.99, it's going on eBay for well over $100 in some cases. So RedEye just had to go there -- we asked our Twitter followers to tell us which Chicago icon or face they'd like to see made into a Beanie Baby. And rather than just print their responses, we thought we'd take a stab at what some might look like.

Like a modern-day Rumpelstiltskin, Oak Brook denizen H. Ty Warner spun a $6 billion fortune by tinkering with a commonplace item, the stuffed plush toy, transforming it into a Beanie Baby. And then as the Beanie craze began to ebb at the close of the century, the lanky marketing genius turned to an entirely different realm, that of the ultraplush hotel, paying dearly for three choice plums. If this were truly a fairy tale, his small, bejeweled hotel kingdom would have floated...